Collapsible shower curtain bracket



May 29, 1934. J, F DUNCAN 1,960,969"

COLLAPSIBLE SHOWER CURTAIN BRACKET ,Vl I Q M\\\\\\\\ I /1 w y 43 l/ 1 j l) 19 x l 17 I l 9 INVENTOR James E Duncan May 29, 1934. J. F. DUNCAN 1,960,969

COLLAPSIBLE SHOWER CURTAIN BRACKET Filed July 27, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR James E Duncan.

ATTORN EY Patented May 29, 1934 PATENT oFFlcE COLLAPSIBLE SHOWER CURTAIN BRACKET James F. Duncamwaterbury, Conn., assignor to Scovlll Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application July 27, 1933, Serial No. 682,400

9 Claims.

This invention relates to bath fixtures, and more particularly to a collapsible support or bracket for a shower curtain.

One object of this invention is to provide a device of theabove nature in which the shower curtain will be suspended in the shape of a square or rectangle or prism within a bath tub or other enclosure.

A further object is to provide a shower xture of the above nature which may be detachably secured either to a showerY supply pipe or to a wall bracket; and in which the supporting means .comprises .a plurality of pivoted curtain support- Ving rods which .are adapted to be collapsed and swung to one side when it is desired to use the bath tub.

A further object is to provide a shower supporting bracket of the above nature which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install and manipulate, compact, ornamental in appearance, and very efficient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, there have been illustrated on the accompanying drawings two forms in which the invention may be conveniently embodied in practice.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of the im.- proved shower bracket as it appears when in operative position.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation `oi the same with the curtain in collapsed position.

Fig. 3 is an exploded View of the supporting member for the radiating bracket arms.

Fig. 4 lis a side elevation of a modified form oi curtain supporting bracket adapted to be attached to a wall.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the same, showing the shower curtain in operative position.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals denote corresponding parts `throughout the several views, the numeral indicates a shower head having threaded engagement on the depending end of abent horizontal supporting pipe 11 securely connected to'an elbow 12 forming an integral part .of a wall bracket or plate 13.. The bracket 13 will generally be secured to the wall of a bath room above the bath .tub by means of screws v14.

A vertical water supply pipe 15 is connected in the usual manner to the elbow 12 and preferably vhas a flexible rubber tube 16 affixed to its lower end by means of a coupling 17. The free end of the tube 16is provided with a flexible annular slip-on rubber connection 18 for readily attaching said tube 16 to a bathtub faucet or other source of water supply, not shown.

In order to provide a means for supporting a shower curtain 19 from the pipe 11, provision is made of a pair of juxtaposed parallel horizontal members 20 and 21 located on the depending end of the supporting pipe 11 just above the shower head 10, the numeral 20 indicating the lower member and the numeral 21 the upper member. The

lower supporting member 20 includes an ovali shaped plate 22 having a depending integral triangular shaped boss 23. The top face 25 of the plate 22 has a plurality of alined socket holes 24, four in this instance, for receiving the downwardly bent pivot ends 26 of four horizontal radial supporting curtain rods 27, 28,29 and 30. As will be noted in Fig. 3, the peripheral edge of the plate 22 is formed with a slightly raised broad rim 31 which acts as a friction-reducing bearing surface for the rods 27-30 when in use.

The upper member 21 is similarly constructed with a lateral oval-shaped plate 32, and has an integral depending cylindrical boss 33. The plate 32 of the upper supporting member 21 is preferably made somewhat smaller than the plate 22 of the supporting member 20, and said upper plate 32 serves to hold the pivot ends 26 of the rack 27-30 in their respective sockets 24.

The bosses 23 and 33 of the respective supporting members 20 and 21 are provided with alining holes 34 and 35 respectively to permit said members 20 and 21 to be readily slipped over the threaded end 36 of the depending end of the vshower pipe 11, said members being detachably locked thereupon by a pair of opposed locking nuts 37 and 38. By slightly loosening either one of the nuts 37 and 38, preferably the top nut 37, the members 20 and 21 may be rotated about the pipe 11 to support the curtain rods in any desired angular position.

In order to` prevent relative any ular movement of the two members 20 and 21 Vith respect to each other, the boss 33 integral with the upper plate 21 is provided on its lower face with a pair of recesses 39 located on opposite sides of the hole 35, said recesses 39 being adapted to form seats for a pair of upstanding nubs 40 formed on the upper face oi` the lower plate 20.

The free end of each curtain rod 27, 28, 29, 30 is provided with a transverse horizontal hole 41 for receiving a suspension ring 42 having suitable attachment with the upper edge of a bath curtain or other similar device. The curtain 19 may be made of any desired material, and preferably is vof sufficient length to extend below the top of the bath tub. The curtain 19 is preferably formed of such a shape that when the four radial rods 27, 28, 29 and 30 are spread apart, as shown in Fig. 1, a square or rectangular enclosure is produced. The extremity of said curtain is preferably provided with a hook 43 to engage in the ring 42 at the other end of said curtain.

When it is desired to collapse the shower curtain, the hook 43 will rst be unhooked, and the rods 27-39 swung together into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 4 and 5, a lower supporting member 44 is disclosed which is somewhat similar to the member 20 of the first form of the invention except that it has an integrally formed wall plate 45 formed thereon. An upper rod holding plate 46 is also provided and has a depending boss 47 by means of which said upper plate 46 may be held spaced above the lower member 44 and detachably secured thereto, as by means of a screw 48.

As clearly shown in Fig. 5, the three rods 49, 50 and 51 are pivotally mounted in the lower plate 44, and held therein by means of the upper plate 46. The free ends of said rods are each provided as before with curtain suspension rings 52. In this construction, however, the curtain 53 is suspendedV in a three-sided manner, the broad expanse of the curtain 53 being suspended between the ends of the three rods 49, 50 and 51, and the ends of said curtain are adapted to be attached to hooks 54 mounted on the wall at the sides of said wall plate 45.

It is to be understood that it is within the spirit and scope of the present invention to provide the supporting member with two curtain rods or only one curtain rod depending on the size of the bath room in which the bracket is to be installed. Thus for example, if only two rods are employed, the curtain 53 may be suspended therefrom with its ends suitably fastened to two adjacent walls of the bath room forming a corner enclosure, and in case only one rod is used, the middle of the curtain 53 will be suspended from said rod and the ends of said curtain are hooked to two opposite parallel walls of a shower stall.

While there have been disclosed in this specification two forms in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that these forms are shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific disclosures but may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit. In short, the invention includes all the modications and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new, and for which it is described to secure Letters Patent, is:

l. In a collapsible curtain bracket, a horizontal water supply pipe having a depending extremity, a shower head attached to said extremity, a horizontal plate member mounted on said extremity above said shower head, a plurality of rods having pivotal connection with said plate member, and a shower curtain attached to the free ends of said rods, said curtain when opened up being adapted to enclose a prismoidal space.

2. In a collapsible curtain bracket, a horizontal water supply pipe having a depending extremity, a shower head attached to said extremity, an adjustable horizontal plate member mounted on said extremity above said shower head, a plurality of rods having pivotal connection with said plate member, and a shower curtain attached to the free ends of said curtain and when opened up being adapted to enclose a rectangular space.

3. In a collapsible curtain bracket, a horizontal water supply pipe having a depending extremity, a shower head attached to said extremity, an adjustable horizontal plate member mounted on said extremity above said shower head, a plurality of rods having pivotal connection with said plate member, a shower curtain attached to the free ends of said rods, said curtain when opened up being adapted to enclose a prismoidal space, and a pair of nuts on said extremity located on opposite sides of said plate member for detachably locking it in angular adjusted position.

4. In a collapsible curtain bracket, a pair of parallel horizontal plate members, means to support said plate members, the lower plate member having a plurality of sockets in its upper face, a plurality of independently swingable angular supporting rods having depending means pivoted in said sockets and held in a horizontal plane by said upper plate member, and means for detachably securing the free ends of said rods to a depending curtain, whereby said curtain will be supported to enclose a prismoidal space.

5. In a collapsible curtain bracket, a, pair of parallel horizontal plate members, means to support said plate members, the lower plate member having a plurality of alined sockets in its upper face, a plurality of independently swingable angular supporting rods having depending means pivoted in said sockets and held in a horizontal plane by said upper plate member, and means for detachably securing the free ends of said rods to a depending curtain, whereby said curtain will be supported to enclose a prismoidal space.

6. In a shower curtain bracket, a horizontal plate member adapted to be supported in spaced relation to a vertical wall, a plurality of radially extending curtain rods pivoted at different points in said plate, and means rigidly supported above said plate member to limit the upward movement of said rods.

'7. In a collapsible shower curtain bracket, a horizontal plate member adapted to be supported in spaced relation to a vertical wall, a plurality of radially extending curtain rods pivoted at different points in said plate, and means rigidly supported above said plate member to limit the upward movement of said rods, said plate member having a raised peripheral rim to provide a bearing surface for said curtain rods.r

8. In a shower curtain bracket, a horizontal plate member adapted to be supported vin spaced relation to a vertical wall, a plurality of radially extending curtain rods pivoted at diiferent points in said plate and independently swingable in a horizontal plane, and means secured to said plate member to limit the upward movement of said rods.

9. In a collapsible curtain bracket, a bracket for attachment to a wall, said bracket having a laterally projecting plate member provided with a plurality or vertical sockets arranged in a row, a plurality of independently swingable horizontal curtain supporting rods pivoted in said sockets, and means to prevent said rods from swinging out of a horizontal plane.

' JAMES F. DUNCAN. 

